Railroad-signal.



A. H. FARGO.

RAILROAD SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1910.

1,041,988. Patented Oct. 22, 1912 Attest: Y Inventor: 2% by??? ED STATESPAT T ARTHUR n. rnneo, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

amnonn-srcnnn Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 22, 1910. Serial No. 588,443.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

To all whom it may concern: I

signal outlined by atubular light, as herein illustratively shownanddescribed and mbre particularly pointed out inthe-claims. Furtherobjects and features of the tion will appear -hereinafter. I

In the accompanying drawings showing by way of illustration thepreferred embodiment of the device: Figure 1 is an elevation of theupper part of a semaphore with its arm provided with illuminating meansin accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-section .through thearm; Fig. 3 is a detail of the feeder-valve used in connection with theparticular form of light illustrated; Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views ofthe outer end portions oftwo other semaphore invenarms of differentoutlines; and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating a modifiedform of the invention. I

In Fig. 1 the inventionis shown as embodied in' a three-positionautomatic signal of the lower quadrant type,'but the invention may beapplied to signals of other kinds, as for instance the two-arm type.Thearm of Fig. l is shown as having a fishtail end, while F ig. 4 has asquare end and Fig. 5 a pointed end.

The numeral 10 indicates the arm and 11 the post, both of which may beof ordinary construction, the arm being adapted to move to differentsignal positions by virtue of the pivot support 12 as is customary. Thearm is shown as provided at its rear end with the spectacle andcounterweight '13, having the three colored glasses 14, but it will beobvious that these latter may be omitted if desired. A customary rodactuated by a motor or the like, not shown, swings the arm from oneposition to another.

In accordance with the invention, illuminating means are provided foroutlining the arm 10. The particular means illustrated comprises a tube16, bent into general conformitywith the outline of the arm and attachedthereto, in general parallelism with the top, bottom and end edgesthercof,.preferably closely adjacent these edges. Figs. 1, 4 and 5 showthe tube bent into conformity with three different outlines of arm,

and it will be obvious that the tube may be arranged so as to correspondto any desired outline of arm. The tube may be attached to the arm in agreat variety of ways. In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5the arm is channeled and the tube is received in this channel= In Fig. 6the tube is shown attached alongthe edges of the arm, with a reflector40 behind it, the tube being held by, clips 17 and guarded at the regionof these clips by felt, or other suitable cushioning means 19.

, In the best embodiment of the invention the tube 1.5 '1s covered, andthe channel in the arm is preferably closed, by means of a transparentguard'30, preferably consisting of an elongated lens formed ofindependently removable sections, arranged end to end. This guard orlens may be variously formed, but is preferably flat on the outer face,so as to lie flush with the face of the arm, and provided onthe innerside with suitably formed surfaces for refracting' the light rays sothat they emerge substantially parallel. The lens sections may restagainst ledges or rabbets in the tube-receiving channel, and are heldremovably in position by any suitable means, such as straps 31 passingacross the outer faces of the lens sections over the joints thereof andsecured at their ends to the semaphore arm by screws or the like.Suitable devices, such, for example.

as shown at 32, may be employed for holding the tube 16 at the bottom ofthe; channel and spaced from the lens and guard 30.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, slots or openings 33 areformed through the arm at the bottom of the tubereceiving channel, so asto permit of restricted passage of light at the back of the arm, so thatthe engineer or mortorman ma know when he is running against the signaWhile the particular kindof light employed maybe varied, I haveillustrated what is known as the Moore vacuum tube .the iron core light,in which the rarefied gas in the tube acts as a conductor and isrendered luminous or incandescent by the passage of current.

20 is a transformer for supplying the tube with current, the secondaryof the transformer being connected to carbon elec trodes in the ends ofthe tube 16 as is custhese ends of the tube are located adjacent thepivotal region of the arm. The transformer may be located on the post oron any other suitable portion of the apparatus. As is customary,'afeedervalve 22 is located at the end of a branch 23 tomary. Preferably,

of the tube. This valve may be, and prefer ably is, of knownconstruction, in which a porous carbon plug 24 is cemented into thesmall branch tube and is normally covered by mercury, the level of whichis varied by the glass displacer 26 which also carries 27 of thesolenoid coil 28, which is connected in series with the transformen Asthe tube attains a higher vacuum due to the continued passage ofcurrent, this valve operates to lift the glass displacer so as to allowthe level of the mercury to fall exposing the porous carbon plug 24,through which air filters into the tube to restore the pressure tonormal working condition.

The feeder-valve 22 and the branch tube.

23 may be protected by a metal cover 29 or the like, hinged or otherwiseattached to the semaphore arm.

The signal constructed in accordance with my invention is used in theday time in exactly the same manner as ordinary semaphores. At night thecurrent is turned on, so that the arm is illuminated with a con-'tinuous line of light, enabling the position and nature of the arm to beascertained in the dark as readily as in daylight.-

It will be understood that many changes in form, proportions,arrangements, and details, may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a railroad signal, a member movable to a plurality of signalpositions, and means for continuously illuminating the member comprisinga long vacuum tube and means whereby electric current is caused to passthrough rarefied gas in the tube and render the same luminous, said tubebeing carried by and conforming to the outline of the top, bottom andend edges of said member.

2. In a railroad signal, a semaphore arm having obliqueend edges, andmeans for illuminating the arm comprising a long vacuum tube and meanswhereby electric current is caused to pass through rarefied i,o rinse tooutline the oblique end edges, the top edge and the bottom edge ofsaidarm.

3. In a railroadsignal, the combination of .a semaphore arm having arentrant angled, fish-tail outer end, and means for illuminating the armcomprising a long vacuum tube and means whereby electric current iscaused to pass through rarefied gas in the tube and to render the sameluminous, said tube being carried by said arm and extending alongparallel to the upper edge of the arm, then bent to form a reentrantangle conforming to and outlining the fish-tail end of the arm, and thenbent back and extending in parallelism to the lower edge of the arm.

4. In a railroad signal, a semaphore arm having achannel formed in oneface and corresponding to the outline thereof, and luminous means foroutlining the arm comprising a long vacuum tube and means wherebyelectric current is caused to pass through rarefied gas in the tube,said tube being sunk in said channel below the face of the arm, and atransparent lens guard occupying the top of the channel and covering thetube. v

5. A railroad signal comprising a semaphore arm movable to a pluralityof signal positions and provided with a long channel formed at one sidethereof and conforming to the outline of the arm, a long illuminatingtube located in said channel, means whereby said tube is continuouslyilluminated and an elongated lens and guard formed in sectional lengthscovering said channel and tube.

6. A railroad signal comprising a member movable to a plurality ofsignal sitions and provided with an outlining c annel formed at one sidethereof, electrical means for luminously outlining the signal includinga partially exhausted tube disposed'in said channel below the face ofthe signal and means whereby electric current is caused to pass throughthe rarefied gas in the tube and render the same luminous, an elongatedlens and guard formed in sectional lengths and located in the topof thechannel over said tube, and means for retaining the sections of saidlens removably in position so that they may be removed at the front ofthe member.

7. A railroad signal comprising a. semaphore arm movable to a pluralityof signal positions and provided with a channel at one side thereof, andelectrical means for means carried by said blade for illuminatwhichelectrodes for the electric current are ing and outlining the armcomprising a permanently "connected.

long vacuum tube containing a rarefied gas In testimony whereof, I havesigned my without internal filaments, said tube bename to thisspecification, in the presence v.5 ing carried 'by said arm andextending er two'subscribing witnesses.

along parallel to the upper edge of the arm,

then bent to form an angle conforming to j ARTHUR FARGO and outliningthe end of the arm, then out Witnesses: Y back and extendin parallel tothe lower- WM. F. BISSING,

10 edge of the arm, t e tube having endsto J. J KOZINN.

